Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS), and TENS (Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis Syndrome), another form of Stevens Johnson Syndrome, are severe adverse reactions to medication. Adverse drug reactions account for over 100, 000 death per year, and of these Stevens Johnson Syndrome is one of the most debilitating
What Can Cause Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
Almost any medication including over-the-counter drugs have the potential to result in Stevens Johnson Syndrome The most commonly implicated drugs are: anti-convulsants, antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medication, and occasionally Ibuprofen.
Who can Get Stevens-Johnson Syndrome
SJS is a rare condition, with a reported incidence of around one case per million people per year. In the United States, there are about 300 new diagnoses per year. Although SJS afflicts people of all ages, a large amount of its victims are children.
Treatment
All medications should be discontinued, particularly those known to cause SJS reactions. Treatment is initially similar to that of patients with thermal burns, and continued care can only be supportive (e.g. IV fluids) and symptomatic (e.g. analgesic mouth rinse for mouth ulcer); there is no specific drug treatment (2002). Treatment with corticosteroids is controversial since it might aggravate the condition or increase risk of secondary infections. Other agents have been used, including cyclophosphamide and cyclosporine, but none have exhibited much therapeutic success. Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) treatment has shown some promise in reducing the length of the reaction and improving symptoms. Other common supportive measures include the use of topical pain anesthetics and antiseptics, maintaining a warm environment, and intravenous analgesics. An ophthalmologist should be consulted immediately, as SJS frequently causes the formation of scar tissue inside the eyelids leading to corneal visualization and impaired vision, as well as a host of other ocular problems. Also, an extensive physical therapy program ensues after the patient is discharged from the hospital. Also if any kind of legal help is required, then learn about Stevens Johnson Syndrome law suits and other sjs legal info
Prognosis
SJS (with less than 10% of body surface area involved) has the mortality rate of around 5%. The risk for death can be estimated using the SCORTEN scale, which takes a number of prognostic indicators into account. Other outcomes include organ damage and blindness
Eponym
It is named for Dr. Albert Mason Stevens and Dr. Frank Chambliss Johnson, American pediatricians who jointly published a description of the disorder in 1922
People with Stevens Johnson Syndrome
- Padma Lakshmi- actress, model, television personality, and cookbook writer
- Tessa Keller of MTV show Laguna Beach
- Sebastian Tamayo -- Donald Trump's Assistant
- Sabrina Brierton Johnson, whose family sued the manufacturer of Children's Motrin